Augustus g



A. G. BURTON. LEATHER GAGE.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS G. BURTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGEA. MARSHALL AND FRANK H. LEWIS, OF SAME PLACE.

LEATH ER-GAG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of. Letters Patent No. 473,892, dated April26, 1892.

Application filed April 3, 1890, $erial1lo, 348,373- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS G. BURTON, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andusefullmprovements in Machines for Measuring the Thickness of Leather;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improved devices for measuring the thicknessof soles, insoles, taps, and general stock for boots and shoes.

The special object of the invention is to produce a machine by whichevery portion of the leather or other material, instead only of itsmarginal edge, may be measured or sized.

To this end the invention consists in the construction hereinillustrated and described,

' and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

I have shown in Figure 1 a perspective view of a machine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the same, a portion of the front plate of the housing beingbroken away. Fig. l is a side view of the same with a portion of thehousing broken away. Fig. 5 shows a slightly-modified form of a portionof the device.

In the said drawings, A represents the table or base-plate of themachine, which is firmly secured by screws or or other convenient meansto a table or standard A.

A is a vertical standard or part, preferably cast integral with the baseA at its rear portion. An arm or bracket A is preferably cast integralwith the standard or back A and extends over and toward the front end ofthe base-plate A, so as to leave a space a between the lower edge ofsaid arm or bracket A and said base-plate. The forward end of thebase-plate project-s beyondthe table or support A and is provided wlth aslot or elongated opening therein a Depending lugs a extend downwardlyfrom theforward end of the base-plate A on either side of the said slotor opening a and in said lugs a is suitably journaled a spindle or shafted. A

roller A is mounted upon said spindle a so as to extend through theopening a and rise some little distance above the upper surface of thebase-plate A. This is the preferable construction, although some of theadvantages 5 5 of my invention may be obtained by the modified formshown in Fig. 5.

The housing B is placed upon the frame A and adjacent to the verticalstandard A which latter forms the back of the housing. The face-plate Bof said housing is provided with an upper portion 1), which isrelatively larger than the housing B, and which projects above it,preferably in semicircular form, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. tirelower portion of the face-plate B of the housing does not extend to thebase-plate A, but is cutaway at b b, so as to pass around and escape thebracket A as more clearly shown in Fig. 1.

\Vithin the housing and revolubly secured to the inner surface of theback plate or standard A is a pinion C, the stem 0 of which projectsthrough the face-plate B and is secured to the shank of an index-fingerB whereby said finger is moved by the rotation. of said pinion C. t

C is a segmental lever, pivoted at 0' within the housing to the backplate A so that its teeth 0 will mesh with the cogs of the pinion C.

D is a lever pivoted at d to the bracket A The forward end of this leverD is provided with a roller D, revolubly secured thereto in positiondirectly above the roller A 7 The long arm of the lever D projects into,the housing B and there engages the lower and slotted portion of a linkE, the upper endx of which is pivoted at e to the segmental lever C at aconvenient point between theteeth 0 and the pivotal connection 0'. Theend (1 of the lever D is smaller than the slot 6' in the lower end ofthe link E. The free end of a leaf-spring 01 secured near the end of thelong arm of the lever D, is inserted in the 5 upper portion of the slot8 and tends to throw the end cl of the lever into the lowermost portionof said slot. An adjusting-screw e is passed through the lower portionof the link E and against the undersurface of the end d This en- 65 agraduated scale B of the lever D for the purpose herinafter mentioned.

d d are pins or stops standing at right angles from and secured to thebracket A for the purpose of limiting the downward and upward movements,respectively, of the long arm of the lever D.

F is a spring, one end of which is suitably secured to the lower end ofthe link E and the upper end being suitably secured to a lug f on thestandard A". Said spring F tends at all times to draw the said link Eand the end d of the lever D upward, and to cause the long arm of thelever D to normally stand against the stop (1 and the index-finger'B tonormally point to a given mark upon the extended portion 1) of theface-plate B.

Upon the outer edge of the face-plate B is Any scale of course may beadopted; but in the present instance I have illustrated a scalerepresenting fortyeighths of an inch at each division-mark. Forinstance, the first mark will indicate four forty-eighths, the secondfive forty-eighths, the next six forty-eighths of an inch, and so on.When the arm D is in normal position to wit, as shown in Figs. 1 and at,with the spring F exerting its maximum strength the index-finger B inthe present instance should point to the division-mark four fortyeighthson the scale B this meaning that the distance between the peripheries ofthe rollers D A at their most adjacent points is four forty-eighths ofan inch. It may sometimes happen, however, that the spring F will not beso located as to normally bring the index-finger B to the desiredposition, and hence the adj listing-screw e and spring at are used, thelatter to prevent any lost motion or slackness between the end of thearm D and the I lower end of the link E and the former to correctlyadjust the normal position of the index-finger B so that the-spacesbetween the rollers D and A shall exactly correspond with the distanceindicated on the scale, as will be readily understood.

The bracket A is provided at its outer end with an extended portion orarm A (See Fig. 2.) The short arm of the lever D is provided with a lugd 011 the side adjacent to the arm A which lug bears against the face aof the arm A. usually inserted between the rollers D and A from the sideopposite to the arm A and this arm therefore serves to take a part ofthe strain off the arm D, and thus prevent the latter from losing itsadjustment.

In operation my device is very simple. The piece of leather to bemeasured or sized is passed between the rollers D and A as shown in Fig.3, in such manner that the rollers may revolve. The upper roller D ofcourse will yield, the rear end of the lever D, to which the roller D isattached, will be depressed, and the index-finger B will be carriedaround the scale B to such position as to indicate thereon the number offorty-eighths of an The goods to be measured are inch between therollers D and A. It will such length as to permit pieces of leather ofsuch size as are usually applied to the soles of shoes and boots-to bepassed freely therethrough and all portions thereof correctly sized ormeasured.

It is not necessary and may not always be desirable to have two movablesurfaces for the leather to be passed between, as one of said surfacesmay be movable and one stationary. Such a construction I have shown inFig. 5, wherein the roller A lugs (17 a and slot a are removed and anuprising lug a, having a rounded upper edge, is placed upon thebase-plate A under the roller D.

What I claimis 1. In a machine for measuring the thickness of leather,the combination, with a suitable frame having a scale marked thereon, ofa support for the leather attached to said frame, a lever pivoted to theframe having a roller secured directly to one end thereof in positionabove the support, an index-finger for the scale pivoted to the frame,and a suitable connection between the end of the lever opposite theroller and the index-finger, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for measuring the thickness of leather, the combination,with a suitable frame having a scale marked thereon, of a support forthe leather attached to said frame, an index-finger for the scalepivoted to the frame, a lever also pivoted to the frame, one arm beingprovided with a roller located in position over the support, a suitableconnection between an armof said lever and the index-finger, a springnormally holding the lever and index-finger in certain determinedrelation with respect to the scale, and an adjusting-screw bearingagainst the under side of said lever, whereby the same may be adjustedwith respect to the index-finger, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for measuring the thickness of leather,'the combination,with a suitable frame havinga scale marked thereon, of a support for theleather attached to said frame, an index-finger for the scale pivoted tothe frame, a lever also pivoted to the frame, its short arm beingprovided with a roller located in position over the support,suitableconnections between the lever and the index-finger, and a brace-arm, asA on the frame having a bearing-surface against one side of the shortarm adjacent to the roller, substantially as described.

4:. In a machine for measuring the thickness of leather, thecombination, with a suitable frame having a scale thereon, of a supportfor the leather attached to said frame, an index-finger for the scale, apinion pivoted on the frame to which said index-finger is secured, atoothed segment also pivoted to the frame and engaging said pinion, alever also pivoted to the frame, the short arm thereof having a rollerlocated in position over the'support, a

ITO

link, as E, pivoted at one end to the toothed segment and having a slotat its opposite end in which the long arm of the lever is supported,substantially as described.

5. In a machine for measuring the thickness of leather, the combination,with a suitable frame having a scale thereon, of a support for theleather attached to said frame, an index-finger for the scale, a pinionpivoted on the frame to which said index-finger is secured, a toothedsegment also pivoted to the frame and engaging said pinion, a lever alsopivoted to the frame, the short arm thereof having a roller located inposition over the support, a link, as E, pivoted at one end to thetoothed segment and having a slot at its opposite end in AUGUSTUS G.BURTON.

Witnesses;

O. CLARENCE POOLE, TAYLOR E. BROWN.

